PGN Files and Scid

PGN is the archaic standard format of chess notation, and Scid will happily open and display large game archives. But it is not the format of Scid's Databases, and altering multigame PGN files is not directly supported. It takes a little getting used to, but using Scid's Si4 Databases instead of PGN is highly recommended.

To open PGN files, use the File-> Open dialog, Drag and Drop, or the Pgnscid utility for quick imports and troubleshooting.

Viewing Games

Once you have loaded a game, open the PGN Window to browse the game. Clicking on moves will advance the game, or use the wheel-mouse in the main window. Clicking on comments allows you to edit them.

In the Game Info window, you will see the names of the players and tournament. These names are also clickable, and display information about the tournament and how the player performed. This is the start of Scid's database capabilities.

If you have opened a multigame PGN, the Game List widget allows you to browse the games and select those of interest. The Game List also serves to select and delete games from Scid's databases.

Editing Games

Changes made to a single game PGN file may be saved back to PGN via File--> Save PGN. But If you wish to change a file with multiple games, it must first be converted to a Scid Database. The easiest way to do this is by opening the Game List and dragging the PGN file to the Clipbase. After making changes in the Clipbase, then use Export to write them back to PGN.